Tag Archives: leaving the kids

I am now three days into the highlight of my summer, the holiday I’ve been eagerly anticipating for months. No, I am not wine-tasting in Napa, beach-combing in the Caribbean, or sight-seeing in Paris. In fact, I’ve never worked harder. … Continue reading →

I was up around Franconia, New Hampshire, on what my family always refers to as “yet another” girls’ weekend (while I typically preface it with “sorely needed”) when I committed a grave error. I texted my husband with a simple … Continue reading →

Usually when the kids arrive home after being away, we enjoy a brief honeymoon period: they are engaged, chatty, appreciative, helpful and pleasant. Not this time. My 16-year-old daughter returned yesterday after four weeks of being a junior counselor at … Continue reading →

He didn’t even have his cellphone for comfort. Electronics, of course, are not allowed at summer camp, so when we dropped our 13-year-old son off yesterday at the bus that would take him into the wilds of New Hampshire, he … Continue reading →

I’m happy to report that on our girls’ weekend, we did our best to “Keep Austin Weird,” as the city’s ironic motto instructs. Laid-back, liberal Austin isn’t weird at all, except compared to the rest of the state. In fact, … Continue reading →

I don’t expect anyone to weep for me, but I am preparing to go away on a girls’ weekend, and it is hell. First, I have to leave the house in relatively good order: laundry done, refrigerator stocked, sports uniforms … Continue reading →

Today my dear, sweet, firstborn daughter turns 16, and I am away on a business trip. This seems entirely fitting, since I wasn’t around 15 years ago when she took her first steps, either. I was at work in the Newsweek … Continue reading →